Sunday, February 12, 2012

DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS / IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER

To guard yourself against the rare disappointment of a bad transaction, do not consider a sale to be complete until the bid is made, payment is collected, shipping has been confirmed and the customer is happy. Something can go wrong at every step. Just because you think your item is great does not mean it will be a quick sell. It will sell eventually. Just because someone places a bid does not mean they will pay for it. Do not ship until payment has cleared in full. Ebay has a system to report non paying bidders and you can usually re-list your item within a week if your bidder does not pay. Make sure you pack your item well. If it is expensive make sure to buy tracking confirmation and insurance. The post office has unreliable employees just like everyone else. Check to see that your customer has left positive feedback. If they have a problem be sure they will let you know. They will probably be upset and unreasonable. Take a deep breath and see if they have a valid point. Take care of your customer. I only have a problem with maybe one on fifty transactions. Nothing in this life is problem free. Do not avoid starting your business because of these problems. Take care of them quickly and move on. Don't get upset and don't dwell on them. Re-list your item and try again. If I had got some of my larger problems at the beginning when I first started I would have quit. To loose $100 when you only make $100 a month is unbearable. To loose $100 when you make $2000 a month is still terrible but I can live with it. Don't think short term. Take the necessary time to grow your business.

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